Extra buses and timetable changes for Bee Network to improve public transport for Wigan passengers

Greater Manchester became the first place in England to re-take control of its buses in September, after nearly 40 years of deregulation.

Bus services in Wigan, Bolton and parts of Salford are now run by the Bee Network and it will be rolled out across Greater Manchester to form a London-style integrated public transport system.

The introduction of the new system has not been plain sailing, with Wigan residents complaining about some buses reaching stops late or not even turning up.

Transport bosses have admitted there is “room for improvement”, though the performance of the franchised bus services has been described as “as good as, if not better, than before” by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).

But bringing bus services under local control means bosses can respond quickly to make changes and that is what they are aiming to do.

They have introduced more buses on some routes, with 11 additional buses deployed over the afternoon and evening period in the run-up to Christmas to ensure they are more punctual. This is being funded by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

Permanent timetable changes are also being made to the first 10 routes from January.

Other changes include improvements to the Bee Network app – with more features launching next year – and a new family ticket, which gives one or two adults and up to three children unlimited one-day off-peak travel for £9.

Regular network reviews are being carried out to ensure services work efficiently and they will include engagement and consultation with customers, communities and key stakeholders.

TfGM is working with Go North West to review 10 Bee Network services to see if improvements can be made.

Measures have also been put in place to improve the management of incidents and events, including increased customer communication via social media for issues relating to specific franchised bus services.

The Bee Network’s travelsafe support and enforcement officers have so far done 5,000 patrol hours, dealt with 313 incidents, boarded 639 buses and dealt with 29 safeguarding incidents.